Pericardial-Esophageal Fistula After Combined Ablation and Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion Procedure for Atrial Fibrillation.

Pericardial-esophageal fistula is a rare complication after radiofrequency ablation for atrial fibrillation. A 52-year-old man developed pneumopericardium, which was revealed by echocardiogram and computed tomography, after a combined ablation and left atrial appendage occlusion procedure for atrial fibrillation. He was diagnosed with a pericardial-esophageal fistula and underwent surgical pericardial and mediastinal drainage tube placement.

Investigation of the Driving Force of Replacing Adsorbed Hydrocarbons by CO in Organic Matter from an Energy Perspective.

Carbon dioxide (CO) has been widely used to enhance the recovery of adsorbed hydrocarbons from the organic matter (OM) in shale formations. To reveal the driving force of replacing adsorbed hydrocarbons from OM by CO, we performed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the replacement process and calculated the interaction forces between CO and hydrocarbons. In addition, based on the umbrella sampling method, steered MD simulations were performed, and the free energy profiles of hydrocarbons were obtained using the weighted histogram analysis method.

Identifying therapeutic targets for breast cancer: insights from systematic Mendelian randomization analysis.

Background: Breast cancer (BC) exhibits a high incidence rate, imposing a substantial burden on healthcare systems. Novel drug targets are urgently needed for BC. Mendelian randomization (MR) has gained widespread application for identifying fresh therapeutic targets.

Twice-daily rivaroxaban after percutaneous left atrial appendage closure for atrial fibrillation.

Rivaroxaban is an emerging oral anticoagulant for postoperative anticoagulation after percutaneous left atrial appendage closure (LAAC). Because a once-daily dosing regimen of rivaroxaban causes fluctuations in the drug plasma concentration, we studied the feasibility and safety of twice-daily rivaroxaban as a postoperative anticoagulation regimen for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) undergoing LAAC. This study involved patients with AF who underwent LAAC and took rivaroxaban postoperatively.

Comparing safety and efficacy: MemoLefort versus watchman for left atrial appendage closure.

Background: The MemoLefort is a new plug occluder for left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). This study compares the safety and efficacy of MemoLefort and the well-established Watchman occluder for LAAC.

Methods: Between January 2021 and September 2022, a cohort of 189 consecutive patients who underwent LAAC with MemoLefort or Watchman at The Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University were included.

A case report: Severe disseminated infection caused by in an immunocompromised patient by metagenomic next-generation sequencing.

Background: () is a nematode that is widely distributed in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world and which can cause severe disseminated infection in immunocompromised individuals. However, strongyloidiasis, the disease caused by , is difficult to diagnose because of its non-specific clinical presentation and the inadequate performance of conventional diagnostic methods.

Case Description: We report the case of a 75-year-old male patient with severe disseminated infection caused by .

A case report of maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY12) in a Chinese Han patient with a novel ABCC8 gene mutation.

Rationale: Maturity onset diabetes of the young (MODY) is the most common type of monogenic diabetes, characterized by autosomal dominant inheritance, the age of onset is often <25 years old, and the clinical manifestations are atypical. MODY12 is caused by a rare missense mutation of adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-binding cassette transporter subfamily C member 8 (ABCC8) gene and more than 50 ABCC8 variants were associated with MODY12.

Patient Concerns: The patient was a 30-year-old Chinese Han man.

PSA controls hepatic lipid metabolism by regulating the NRF2 signaling pathway.

The activity of proteinase is reported to correlate with the development and progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Puromycin-sensitive aminopeptidase (PSA/NPEPPS) is an integral nontransmembrane enzyme that functions to catalyze the cleavage of amino acids near the N-terminus of polypeptides. A previous study suggested that this enzyme acts as a regulator of neuropeptide activity; however, the metabolic function of this enzyme in the liver has not been explored.

[Effectiveness of convalescent plasma for treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 patients].

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of convalescent plasma therapy in patients with severe and critical coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Methods: Plasma of 200-400 mL was collected from convalescent patients 2 weeks after being discharged from the hospital. After viral nucleic acid testing and antibody testing, the plasma was infused into 16 severe or critical COVID-19 patients.

Dispersibility of Poly(vinyl acetate) Modified Silica Nanoparticles in Carbon Dioxide with Several Cosolvents.

The dispersibility and stabilization of silica nanoparticles with surface-capped poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc) chains are examined in carbon dioxide with four different cosolvents. Three surface coverages of silica-PVAc were formed by using different weight ratios of the silica and PVAc. The dispersibilities of three silica-PVAc nanoparticles in CO with the four cosolvents were tested in a rotatable high-pressure variable-volume view cell.

Zinc stimulates glucose consumption by modulating the insulin signaling pathway in L6 myotubes: essential roles of Akt-GLUT4, GSK3β and mTOR-S6K1.

The present study was performed to evaluate the insulin-like effects of zinc in normal L6 myotubes as well as its ability to alleviate insulin resistance. Glucose consumption was measured in both normal and insulin-resistant L6 myotubes. Western blotting and immunofluorescence revealed that zinc exhibited insulin-like glucose transporting effects by activating key markers that are involved in the insulin signaling cascade (including Akt, GLUT4 and GSK3β), and downregulating members of the insulin signaling feedback cascade such as mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and ribosomal protein S6 kinase (S6K1).

Localization of relaxin-3 in brain of Macaca fascicularis: identification of a nucleus incertus in primate.

Relaxin-3 (RLN3) is a highly conserved, ancestral member of the insulin/relaxin peptide family. RLN3 mRNA is highly expressed in rat, mouse, and human brain and molecular genetic and pharmacological studies suggest that RLN3 is the cognate ligand for the relaxin family peptide-3 receptor (RXFP3). The distribution of RLN3/RXFP3 networks has been determined in rat and mouse brain, but not in higher species.

Distribution of relaxin-3 mRNA and immunoreactivity and RXFP3-binding sites in the brain of the macaque, Macaca fascicularis.

This study examined the presence and distribution of relaxin-3 (RLN3) and its receptor, RXFP3, throughout the brain of Macaca fascicularis. In perfusion-fixed sections, RLN3 immunoreactivity (IR) was observed throughout the fore-, mid-, and hindbrain and was enriched in the septum, hippocampus, and interpeduncular and supramammillary nuclei. Neurons in the pontine central gray area contained RLN3-IR and RLN3 mRNA.

Relaxin family peptides and receptors in mammalian brain.

As a foundation for regulatory and functional studies of central relaxin family peptide receptor systems, we are mapping the distribution of the different receptors in the brain of rat, mouse, and nonhuman primates, attempting to identify the nature of the receptor-positive neurons in key circuits and establish the complementary distribution of the respective ligands in these species. Here we review progress in mapping RXFP1, RXFP2, and RXFP3 (mRNAs and proteins) and their respective ligands and discuss some of the putative functions for these peptides and receptors that are being explored using receptor-selective agonist and antagonist peptides and receptor and peptide gene deletion mouse strains. Comparative studies reveal an association of RXFP1 and RXFP2 with excitatory neurons but a differential regional or cellular distribution, in contrast to the association of RXFP3 with inhibitory neurons.

Nedd4-WW domain-binding protein 5 (Ndfip1) is associated with neuronal survival after acute cortical brain injury.

Understanding the transcriptional response to neuronal injury after trauma is a necessary prelude to formulation of therapeutic strategies. We used Serial Analysis of Gene Expression (SAGE) to identify 50,000 sequence tags representing 18,000 expressed genes in the cortex 2 h after traumatic brain injury (TBI). A similar tag library was obtained from sham-operated cortex.

Contact-associated neurite outgrowth and branching of immature cortical interneurons.

When juvenile interneurons arrive at the cortical environment following tangential migration, they are faced with the task of positioning themselves in cortical space in preparation for local circuit wiring. This includes integration into different cortical layers and cessation of migration at various positions to ensure adequate coverage. Little is known about the signals or mechanisms that initiate a conversion from the migratory phenotype to the arborization phenotype.

Slit promotes branching and elongation of neurites of interneurons but not projection neurons from the developing telencephalon.

Proper neuronal migration and establishment of circuitry are key processes for laying down the functional network of cortical neurons. A variety of environmental guidance cues, attractive or repulsive, have been shown to guide cell migration and axon arborization. One of these, Slit, appears to possess contrarian properties; it can either inhibit axon outgrowth or promote branching and elongation.